Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-20
"TOT AND ME-"
a Romance Of the wild West-A
Touching Incident.


One day when we were between the
North Platte river and the Laramie
Mountains, some miles west OF Fort
Fetterman, Wyo., while l was riding
along the dry bed of little creek
looking for water, saw stockman
coming across the ridge quarter OF
mile away. The pony on which he
was mounted came along at a swing
ing gallop, and as he drew nearer l
saw the man had little child, boy,
not much over 3 years old, in front OF
him on the saddle. He came
up and stopped, and we then
engaged in some commonplace
conversation about the distance to
various ranches, our destination, etc;
The boy in the mean time had turned
around and got up on his feet in the
saddle and put one arm around the
mans neck and looked at me shyly,
as if he was not much accustomed to
seeing strangers. The man was tall
perhaps more kindly looking than
handsome, and might have. been thir-
ty years of age. l suggested that the
boy appeared to be fond of riding for
such q little one, when the man said
eyes, Tot-I al 'ays call him Tots
a great rider. He can ride fifty mile
a day if l carry him in my arms part
O. the time, and he looked at the baby
proudly, with just touch OF sadness
as he gave him little hug.
Doesn't he get tired?"
eyes, a little, when we 60 so fur,
but he can stand thirty-five or forty
mile an be jes' as clipper as you
please when we git back to the ranch. ="
"Does he 60 out on the range with
you every day."
s'Every day l do. You see there
amt nobody to leave him with at the
ranch-Tot an me live all alone. l
got little ranch o. my own down
here, with couple o. hundred head
O. stock up'n down the creek, an
when go out to look after them or
anything l have to take him along.
When fust begun to take him with
me bout year ago | thought he
wouldn't stand it, but i was careful
not to 60 fur-not more'n fifteen or
twenty or mebby twenty-five mile in
a day-an' would you believe it, he
jes' got fat on it. Mebby you'll think,
stranger, orter git him a better home
somewhere, but l tried it an it didn't
work. You'll excuse me, reckon, if
talk about it. l don't see anybody
very often an sometimes it kinder
makes me feel better to talk little.
You see, we we're living down where
l do now, tryin' to git start an make
a kind Of a home, an a year ago Tots
mother died. Well, she was sick
quite while, and took care O. her
the best l could l reckon she didn't
have as good care as she should o.
had, but done jes' the best knowed
how. Had the post surgeon come out
as often as he would, an by an he
said she'd got 10 die. An she did die,
stranger. 1t was pretty dark fer me,
an I'd gone away, if L hadn't done
nothin' wus, if it hadn't been fer Tot.
When thought bout him | felt most
AS bad as l did when | thought bout
his mother, but had to do something
fer him. had some friends at the
fort, and they offered to give him
home, so took him down to them. |
told him good-by, an they KEEP him
in back room so he wouldn't see me
go away, an | went out and got on my
hoss an jabbed the spurs into him
SOS to ride off fast, but | hadn't
went twenty yards when | heard
Tot calling: Papa, let Tot dow
too, an there he was out the door an
away from 'em an comm after me,
thinkin' he could catch me with his
little fat legs. | pulled up short an
rode back an reached down an took
the little Teller up in my arms, an
says l: Tot, yer papa won't never
leave you agin'' Then | turns to my
friends an says E: Thank you for
bein so willin' to take him, out Tot
goes with mol an jes' rode right off
without waitin' to get his hat. | was
most ashamed to let them know how
it made me feel. An he amt left me,
neither, since, have you. Tot? Good
bye. I've got to be gittin' back fore
night. If you should git down as fur
as my place come "a stay all night
with me. ."-[Chicago Tribune.